Front exterior water faucet issue

My Van Metre house in SW had a brass vacuum lock extension piece installed on the front exterior water faucet. It now leaks badly when I turn on the exterior water faucet and it needs to be replaced. I took a picture of it and went to Home Depot but they don’t sell this part or a replacement. Anyone else encounter this issue? If so any recommendations would be appreciated!

 

Yea I had a similar issue a few years ago. My hose bib is also installed in an area that has a brick surface and was told I might have to cut the pipe and get a whole new hose bib. This is something I was not ready to tackle and started looking for a Plumber. At this point I have not found one and no fix.

So based upon my limited experience I think you need a plumber... and the old style hose bibs need to be replaced with new models.

 

Ours are completely blown out as well. I purchased these to replace mine

https://www.homedepot.com/p/SharkBi...n-Frost-Free-Sillcock-Valve-24628LF/301969300

My hose bib pipes are still in an unfinished area so easy to get to to cut the pipe and slide that on. I'll be installing them this weekend. Will let you all know how it goes.

 

I just finished installing the new hose bib. I think it took me about an hour and a half as I had to find some tools. If I had what I needed it would have been less than an hour but I got a good workout going up and down the stairs. It was a pretty simple process though.

1. Turn off water and bleed the old hose bib
2. remove the plumbers putty from around the old faucet and remove the 2 screws
3. inside the house, remove the insulation and cut the pvc pipe near the wall
4. remove the old hose bib and throw away
5. I had to enlarge the hole for the hose bib using a 1 inch hole saw bit.
6. Slide the new sharkbite hose bib in the hole, pilot 2 new screw holes and secure it
7. using plumbers putty, cover the exposed areas
8. inside I then eyeballed where to cut the pvc pipe and took my time to make sure it was flush
9. slide the pvc into the sharkbite until it locked
10. Add plumbers putty around the hole inside and replace the insulation.
11. turn the hose back on and look for leaks, there were none.

Went really smoothly. After replacing an attic fan today too I'm spent so will do the other one next week.

It'll be a little harder going through brick but they make hole saws for brick as well. Just take your time with it. Going thru the hardy siding was a breeze

 

I had the same problem with one on the rear of my house. Because the screw that holds it on (set screw) is snapped off at installation to prevent removal, you have to use a skinny drill bit to ream the remainder out. Just be careful to stop before damaging the pipe threads beneath it. Then you can unscrew the vacuum piece. Use pliers or channel locks to keep the pipe stem from turning as you loosen the vacuum lock. Replacements can be purchased on Amazon.

 

Both of my exterior water faucets are damaged... as is my sump pump. Based on another post on the forum, I contacted Wint at P&D Plumbing. He will be replacing my sump pump and one (or both) exterior hose bibs. These repairs are beyond what I feel comfortable trying to tackle myself! I'll post an update on how it goes and what it costs. In case I forget, ping me if you want follow up info!

 

I would like to know how it goes. Thanks

 

So far, so good!

I went with Wint at P&D Plumbing. (703) 939-4473. I called yesterday, and he came out same day for the estimate, even though I explained that it wasn't an emergency. He set up the service for this morning and was even early (he texted me to ask if it would be okay to come early). Replaced the sump pump and one exterior hose bib in less than an hour. Did not try to upsell anything. In fact, tested my other exterior hose bib, checking the pressure from the faucet and the connections in the crawl space, and said everything looked good and that it didn't need to be replaced at this time.

He discounted the hose bib replacement since he was doing both that and the sump pump at the same service visit. He quoted the exterior hose bib at $300-350 and the sump pump replacement around $600-650. That's ballpark, depending on your particular issue... parts needed, complexity of issue, etc. But again, he offered a discount for the multiple services, so my total was less.

I can't comment yet about functionality. I heard the sump pump run. I can't run the outside faucet for several hours until all the glue and such is dry. But, as described above, the service was phenomenal! He even changed my crawl space light bulb (I provided the replacement) since he was already there! To me, that's above and beyond. VERY polite, prompt, responsive, thorough, efficient.

I let him know that I would be posting his info on our neighborhood forum so he won't be surprised if he is "flooded" (pun intended) with calls! If others use his service, I would love to hear if your have a similar experience!

 

Hi Alg - can you provide a link or a description of the replacement part you purchased on Amazon? I have searched and cannot find it on the site. It’s possible your part is different than mine, but it’s worth looking at ….

 

I may have spoken too soon.

The sump pump is running very frequently, every 25-25 minutes for a couple seconds at a time with a gush of water that is now eroding my lawn.

The exterior faucet does not run water. I hope that one is as simple as turning back on the shut off valve.

The plumber is coming back out tomorrow. To be continued...

 

You can do an Amazon search for hose vacuum breakers. You just have to measure for the size you need. This one fit mine:

https://a.co/d/0e7WvdJ

Edited to add that this is a SW Van Metre townhouse.

 

Update: he came back, made some adjustments, and things seem to be working better. Yes, the exterior hose was just the shut off valve. The sump pump has only run a couple times today, and he assures me it will run less and less since it was flushing out a lot of old, dirty water.

If nothing else, it's nice to know there is a plumber that is incredibly responsive, polite, and professional, especially how little I know about plumbing. With that disclaimer that I don't know much about plumbing, I would recommend P&D Plumbing. (703) 939-4473.